Miller Lite Home Draft Dissected

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uwjester said:
Are those 16g cartridges? I can't tell from the link, so I'm worried that they are 8g.
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I think they are 8g. I have a TAD as well so I'll just plan accordingly. I would search on Ebay for some 16g. There were a couple sellers with 16g CO2 pretty cheap compared to the local stuff around here. Though the earlier link of williamson supply was the cheapest non-ebay I saw on a quick search yesterday. Good luck. :mug:
 
My question is this: I'm wondering do you need to force carb these with an existing keg setup and then just use one cartridge to push the beer? -or- Can these be an easy and cheap way to start kegging on a budget? I'm unemployed at the moment, but really can't stand bottling beer anymore. What with the spilling from the leaky o-rings on the bottling bucket and the cleaning of each individual bottle. Ahhhhhhhh, it's enough to drive a man insane or at least drive one to drink!
 
fc36 said:
My question is this: I'm wondering do you need to force carb these with an existing keg setup and then just use one cartridge to push the beer? -or- Can these be an easy and cheap way to start kegging on a budget? I'm unemployed at the moment, but really can't stand bottling beer anymore. What with the spilling from the leaky o-rings on the bottling bucket and the cleaning of each individual bottle. Ahhhhhhhh, it's enough to drive a man insane or at least drive one to drink!
Click to expand...

You can naturally carb it just a like a bottle and then use a cartridge to push the beer. No need for a full keg set up. You can also force carb with the cartridges, but you'll use one or two to get it carbed and then another one to push, and if you drink slow maybe two.

Depending where you find them online the 16g can cost roughly around 1.50 each including shipping.

I typically let mine carb naturally then use the CO2 to push, saves some money. But if I don't have time then I carb that baby up and get to pouring.

Good luck. :mug:
 
So do you ferment your beer then add priming sugar, then put it in the mini kegs? If so once it sit do you wait until you are ready for the party to use it?
 
Swcoxe said:
So do you ferment your beer then add priming sugar, then put it in the mini kegs? If so once it sit do you wait until you are ready for the party to use it?
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I use Tap A Draft mini kegs and I naturally carb in the TAD kegs for about 3weeks. They are then dispensed with CO2 carts. I just recently finished one that had been in the TAD since Dec, 2009 and it was excellent.
 
Swcoxe said:
It kept that long?? holly crap.
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It had been kept in a fridge for most of that period untapped. I also store them upright. I'm not sure that makes a difference. Once I tap them, they remain on their side under pressure. It took me about three weeks to drink it all after I tapped it and it was still good. Even when I took the cap off to drain the sludge and clean the empty bottle, there was a nice hiss.
 
Swcoxe said:
So how much priming sugar do you add?
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I transferred the beer to a bottling bucket with enough priming sugar for a 5gal batch. I'll have to look at my notes to find the exact amount. Then I racked that into the TAD bottles. I left brewing for 15yrs and started back last autumn. I plan to fire it up again maybe next week.
 
can i get 3 of these for a 5 gallon batch and then naturally carb and add a co2 capsule to keep it from going flat? thinking of picking some up for thanksgiving since I know my uncle actually drinks that stuff and I could let him drink it and just take the empty home
 
sportscrazed2 said:
can i get 3 of these for a 5 gallon batch and then naturally carb and add a co2 capsule to keep it from going flat? thinking of picking some up for thanksgiving since I know my uncle actually drinks that stuff and I could let him drink it and just take the empty home
Click to expand...

I've been ignoring these things in the store but just saw a video on hbt somewhere that looks promising! The "conversion" of these to a homebrew system looked really easy. Basically, just a good cleaning and swapping out the co2 cartridge for a new one.

I plan on picking up a few and using them for both storage and hauling to friends and families house.. :)
 
yeah i saw a few in the store today but couldn't bring myself to buy it. Life's too short to drink crap beer and i refuse to throw out beer
 
well, *I* drank it. took me a day and a half.
10 bucks for the beer, 10 bucks for a tap-a-keg 1.5 gal system(ish)
batch is still bubbling, so not re-filled yet.
 
sportscrazed2 said:
yeah i saw a few in the store today but couldn't bring myself to buy it. Life's too short to drink crap beer and i refuse to throw out beer
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hehehe, exactly! I bought one tonight and got all motivated to try and kill it! "I'm gonna drink this whole damn thing!" The only choices I had were Coors and Miller Lite. Both equally bad, but went with the Miller because "it's what my dad drinks" and Coors light tastes like liquid corn tortillas.

I'm 3/4 the way through it and have come to realize, I do not like Miller Lite. Period. But, it seems such a waste to just dump it. If my dad didn't live 100 miles from here I would ask him to start buying these things and I will pay him $10 a piece for the empty 'kegs'.
 
yeah i asked the owner of the liquor store to ask any customers who buy them if they could return them to him empty. he said he might be able to get me a few
 
I have a few Coors TAD that I am going to use in the near future. Does anyone know where I can get extra storage caps?
 
Hey everyone I am planning to use some coors TADs. I have a small problem with the co2. I did a trial run with water and a 16oz cartridge. When I screwed the cartridge in it emptied. It looks like the outside diameter of the top of the cartridge is smaller then the original cartridge. Anyone know how to fix this problem or know where to buy co2 cartridge with the right od to seat right?
 
Swcoxe said:
Hey everyone I am planning to use some coors TADs. I have a small problem with the co2. I did a trial run with water and a 16oz cartridge. When I screwed the cartridge in it emptied. It looks like the outside diameter of the top of the cartridge is smaller then the original cartridge. Anyone know how to fix this problem or know where to buy co2 cartridge with the right od to seat right?
Click to expand...

i bought some threaded 16g carts, they are thicker so match up with the orignal very well.

these right here http://www.redrockminnesota.com/servlet/the-214/(20)-16-Gram-Threaded/Detail

on first batch and after 4 days and about 1/2 done still good.
 
i am very intrigued by this though http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/zoomed_model.pl?model_id=1180&type=A

wish it was cheaper..would like to test out

Bulk-Fill-Adapter_1180zm.jpg
 
I know of people tapping empty 12 gram cartridges with NPT threading and making their own adapters for paintball guns. You may read up on that.
 
So I see a lot of 16g CO2 Cartriges for sale are the unthreaded kind. Will those work or do they have to be threaded?
 
So I finally broke down and bought my first HD system, 3 days and 3/4 of they way empty. Luckly I have friends that will drink BMC. I am looking forward to trying it with my homebrew.
 
I'm new to all this force-carbing stuff, but I really like the idea.

Does anyone have an in-depth description of how to do it with these fellas?
 
Opivy said:
I'm new to all this force-carbing stuff, but I really like the idea.

Does anyone have an in-depth description of how to do it with these fellas?
Click to expand...

Yep there are a few different treads on this...

The concept is:

Spin the CO@ cart out with pliers, use a folded piece of paper or an O-ring to raise the replacement CO2 cart just a bit. Fill with liquid leaving some head room, spin tap head back into place, chill, crack CO2 cart #1, let sit in fridge 1 week, remove old CO2 cart and replace with a new one, crack it and...serve.

I have a Barley wine and apfel wine "on tap" in the fridge...mmmmm bubbles.....
 
hehe, that confused me a little bit. are your instructions for this miller/coors homedraft thing only? (I'd like to try it with this before investing in something larger.
 
My buddy had one of these so I asked if i could have it when he finished the beer and he gave it to me. I filled it tonight with my first brew, a Nut Brown Ale. I'm naturally carbing it and can't wait to try it out in 2-3 weeks. Bottling wasn't bad, but if I this TAD works out well I'll be loving that.
 
I have been using these lately and I am having a problem keeping The pressure. How long does the cartidge last?

I prime with priming sugar and let them sit. When I am ready to serve I chill and pop on a new cartridge. I figure it should last till the keg is done. Bit it does not last. About half way down the beer goes flat and is slow to pour. Like I have a leak. Excel there is no liquid that leaks out.
I don't get it.
 
Special Hops said:
I have been using these lately and I am having a problem keeping The pressure. How long does the cartidge last?

I prime with priming sugar and let them sit. When I am ready to serve I chill and pop on a new cartridge. I figure it should last till the keg is done. Bit it does not last. About half way down the beer goes flat and is slow to pour. Like I have a leak. Excel there is no liquid that leaks out.
I don't get it.
Click to expand...

Several possibilities:

1. You have a gas leak and not a liquid leak.
2. The beer may not have been fully carbonated when you charged the keg with the initial cartridge. Did you allow 2-3 weeks for the beer to naturally carbonate?
3. The beer may not have been fully chilled when you charged the keg with the initial cartridge and it absorbed additional gas as it cooled.
4. A single cartridge should dispense the entire keg as that's all that you get when you originally purchase it full of beer.
5. It may require several cartridges to get it carbed back up if it's flat now.

I suspect that #2 is the most probable.
 
Special Hops said:
I have been using these lately and I am having a problem keeping The pressure. How long does the cartidge last?

I prime with priming sugar and let them sit. When I am ready to serve I chill and pop on a new cartridge. I figure it should last till the keg is done. Bit it does not last. About half way down the beer goes flat and is slow to pour. Like I have a leak. Excel there is no liquid that leaks out.
I don't get it.
Click to expand...

I found that keeping these things charged turned out to be a real PITA. ...and a couple of uses, either the pins that pierced the cartridges would fail or the rubber seal that the cartridge rests in would fail. Trying to find EXACTLY the right cartridges is impossible. I gave up on trying to keep them charges and just wound up using the last two as giant beer bottles.
 
1. You have a gas leak and not a liquid leak. I figured that - But there is only one opening in the bottle and when it sits sideways it is submerged. So how can gas leak out bu not liguid?
2. The beer may not have been fully carbonated when you charged the keg with the initial cartridge. Did you allow 2-3 weeks for the beer to naturally carbonate? Yes - probably 4 weeks.
3. The beer may not have been fully chilled when you charged the keg with the initial cartridge and it absorbed additional gas as it cooled. The last one I just did I had cooled for a week before I put the cartridge in.
4. A single cartridge should dispense the entire keg as that's all that you get when you originally purchase it full of beer. that's what I figure too
5. It may require several cartridges to get it carbed back up if it's flat now. Yeah - This is no the first time this has happened.
 
jiggs_casey said:
I found that keeping these things charged turned out to be a real PITA. ...and a couple of uses, either the pins that pierced the cartridges would fail or the rubber seal that the cartridge rests in would fail. Trying to find EXACTLY the right cartridges is impossible. I gave up on trying to keep them charges and just wound up using the last two as giant beer bottles.
Click to expand...

I've got a couple of these as I normally do 13 gallon batches. I put 5 gallons each into 2 cornies and always had left overs. I figured add two of these and I am set for the 13 gallons. But I am having issues.

I just put in a new cartridge and I can't even get it to pierce. Sounds like similar issues you are having.
 

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